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Without really hoping for much or indeed anything significantly different from the sort of music suggested by those who had already heard it I bought the cd and have listened to it.

Decidedly not my sort of music. Pleasant, amiable, rambling, romantic, sub-Rachmaninov. If you like this sort of thing then you will like it. There are many other British piano concertos-quite a few not yet on cd- which I would prefer to have.

....so why buy it? If one does not support record companies prepared to go out on a limb to record unfamiliar repertoire then one cannot expect them to record the music I would prefer. I don't see that as negative. I don't find the Coke piano concertos interesting let alone gripping but I applaud Hyperion nevertheless.

Yes .. I just got the Potter Piano Concerto yesterday in the post. Also part of the Hyperion series. Yes, I agree. If no one buys these, the record companies will be no more. I'm wondering if the days of CDs in jewel cases with the booklet are going down the path of buggy whips??? With most if not all on iTunes etc... distribution costs are reduced dramatically.

My purchase of the CD was largely out of curiosity. My expectations were not great and the BBC broadcast of the fourth concerto did nothing to raise them. I much prefer Rachmaninov and Scriabin to derivatives of them.

However, the purchase of the CD was worth it to hear the works of an almost completely unknown composer who wrote pianistically effective and competently orchestrated concertos. I congratulate Simon Callaghan for his work in preparing the orchestral parts etc and Hyperion for releasing the concertos. Lovers of romantic piano concertos may warm to the music.

I thought the first movement of the Fourth Piano Concerto was promising. It reminded me a bit of some of those Hollywood films,like Hangover Square,with the composer playing his concerto while the audience is fleeing,and the concert hall is erupting in flames around him!! But Herrmann would have had a good tune;and,after initial promise,the music just seemed to meander aimlessly towards it's less than thrilling conclusion! Furthermore,some of the scoring seemed crude to my ears (some of those intrusions from the brass,in particular). I only wish I could be more positive. I tried hard! Roger Sacheverell Coke obviously did have some talent. I have enjoyed the solo piano works released on the Somm label and the Violin Sonata released on Em Records. I think the poor man obviously had mental health problems,and my own feeling is that,he bit off a bit more than he could chew here. Talent,imagination and precocity doesn't necessarily a good Piano Concerto make. Also,I do think that by that time,that kind of romantic piano concerto had been done to absolute death. Indeed,if I had a pound for every romantic piano concerto I have heard,that I have only felt a need to listen to once, or rush to switch off,I would be a rich man,indeed! And yet,the few examples that I enjoy are very enjoyable,indeed! That is not to denigrate,or demean Roger Sacheverell Coke's achievement. He obviously had allot of health issues and problems. Indeed,it is remarkable he achieved as much as he did! It also proves that money isn't everything!! I certainly admire Simon Carrington's commitment to his cause (and Gareth Vaughan's) and Hyperion's enterprise in recording this work. I also hope that there will be more recordings of his instrumental and chamber music.......which I do think is worth hearing. And so was this,really;since it satisfied our curiosity.....even if some of us were,ultimately,disappointed by the music we heard!